No Covid-19 positives in Chinese Super League ahead of season restart
- All 16 teams are back inside bubble in Suzhou and Dalian as second half of season is set to start
- Coronavirus-free CSL is stark contrast to European football, where Cristiano Ronaldo is latest high-profile case
The Chinese Super League has announced that all 16 teams have returned to their bubbles ahead of the second half of the season with everyone testing free of the coronavirus.
At a time when European football is seeing high profile cases, such as Portugal and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo, the CSL has reported no cases despite players being free to travel within China since the first stage ended last month.
Several Europe-based footballers have tested positive for the coronavirus, including at least three at English Premier League champions Liverpool since their new season kicked off.
The CSL had no cases during 23,000 tests conducted in the first half of the delayed season using a model very similar to that followed by the NBA to resume their own season.
This season’s CSL belatedly began in July with teams confined to hotels in Suzhou and Dalian, the host cities of the newly separated divisions. Players, staff and officials spent 10 weeks in their hotels, only leaving for training and matches.
That first stage concluded in September with the top four teams in each group moving on to the championship stage – playing for the CSL title and the AFC Champions League places – while the bottom four teams move on to the relegation round.